Fast Forward
by ChemicallyEnhanced
Summary: AU in which the names Saga-senpai and Oda Ritsu never existed in high school. When Takano Masamune and Onodera Ritsu accidentally meet on the subway one night, and they continually run into each other, an unlikely romance blooms.


Disclaimer: I don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi because a train would probably crash somewhere in the world if I did.

Eh, so I realized there wasn't a story like this before for this fandom, so I decided to write it. Bold italics is flashback.

Read the A/N at the bottom. Enjoy!

* * *

Ritsu yawned loudly as he leaned against the wall of the subway, feeling the metal under his cheek vibrate erratically, the only thing keeping him awake at this moment. He really had no idea what he was doing, working monotonously for his father's company day by day, letting the hissed rumors and poisonous whispers soak into his subconscious to brood about later. The only upside was the pride he felt whenever his author, Usami Akihiko, churned out another best-seller—which was all of the time. So he supposed that he had every right to feel proud of something he'd edited, all by himself, with nobody older or more experienced to tell him what to do.

Lately, though, he was feeling weighed down by the responsibilities that his father expected of him, like taking over Onodera Publications when he was gone, or marrying his childhood friend, An Kohinata—even though he'd told her, very nicely back in high school, that he only saw her as a sister and nothing more. His work was reaching a lull in its sales and productivity, as Usami-sensei had very mysteriously stopped publishing novels and gone to work on more "rewarding" things. Whatever that could mean, Ritsu had no idea.

But those whispers, those whispers that accused him of catching such a famous author just because he was the son of Onodera-sama, business tycoon of the company—they never failed to fill his frail heart with doubt and dejection. He'd worked hard to get to where he was today, and no amount of nepotism or favoritism had gotten him there. Ritsu sighed to himself, now more awake, and glanced around the train car. There were more people on here than usual, which was the reason he had to stand instead of taking a seat like he usually would.

The public address system came on, chiming in a cheery voice that the next stop was…something or other, Ritsu couldn't hear over the noise of new travelers hurrying on and others hurrying off—and before he could snag a seat, they were already taken.

 _Damn, and here I thought this wouldn't happen again._ He thought, despairing his bad luck as another figure stood next to him letting out an irritated sigh. _Right there with you, random stranger._

Ritsu leaned back against the wall, scrolling past the missed calls from An-chan and his mother—he did _not_ want to deal with their business right now—when the train gave a sudden jerk to a stop and his phone flew out of his hand onto the floor, clattering loudly. He suffered a much worse fate, however; instead of grabbing onto the handholds on the ceiling, Ritsu fell against the—admittedly firm—person who was standing next to him, and who automatically reached out and pulled Ritsu into his arms to stop him from falling over.

With heart pounding, Ritsu slowly looked up into his _savior_ and was met with indifferent—or annoyed—hazel eyes, and his cheeks flushed a deep red. "Ah! I'm sorry for that," he said as he pulled away, brushing himself off to give his hands something to do. His sudden attraction to this man startled him, and he shoved his hands into his coat pockets to make sure he didn't touch him or something stupid like that.

 _Get it together, Onodera! You've seen plenty of attractive men. This isn't any different._

"…idiot," Ritsu thought he could hear the other man mutter under his breath, but he wasn't too sure because the train had started moving again and it was lost beneath the noises of the rails scraping against the wheels and the annoying cheery announcement that came on apologizing for that rough stop, not that Ritsu could have cared less.

What he _did_ care about was the embarrassment he felt at falling over like some kind of klutz and how his heart just wouldn't stop palpitating against his chest. Through his long bangs, Ritsu snuck a peek at the man who had saved him from falling, and felt his heart beat faster at the sight. Tall, with raven-colored hair, a defined jaw, and those _eyes_. He didn't regularly fawn over a man who had nice eyes, as his were nice as well—or so he had been told by many—but this man's eyes were a shade of dark gold that reminded Ritsu of warm and fuzzy things—if only they weren't so blank and cold.

Ritsu sighed again, though it sounded considerably like that of a love-struck teenage girl than of a 25 year old man who just happened to find someone relatively attractive. Biting his lip, he glanced once more at the sinfully-attractive man—who was paying him no attention whatsoever, thank goodness—and felt his stomach sink.

 _Onodera, you are officially and completely fucked._

* * *

Thankfully, Ritsu didn't meet that strange man again on the train for the next few days, not that he would have any time to even think one second about the other. Usami-sensei had finally gotten off his ass and published something worthwhile, and Ritsu had been busy going back and forth with printers and Sales and all sorts of people who were angry that Usami-sensei was so lazy with his writing career. All Ritsu could tell them was that his author was a very busy man—not that he knew anything about Usami-sensei's personal life at all—and he would reach his deadlines from now on after this one time.

Of course, that was never true, and Ritsu would end up dealing with the same problems every single time, but Usami-sensei was wealthy and famous, so he could do nothing.

At around _22.30_ the next week, Ritsu hopped onto the last train to his apartment—he didn't want to stay with his parents in his childhood home—and barely made it on before the doors closed behind him and the train sped off. With a deep breath, Ritsu collapsed into a train seat, laying back and closing his eyes. He was _exhausted_ , and he was definitely ready for the weekend that was coming up when he could actually have a full night's sleep on a _bed_ and eat something other than convenience store bentos.

His stomach grumbled just thinking about it, and he clutched at it, feeling the usual aches run through it. He really needed to take better care of himself…

Ritsu opened his eyes and sat back in his chair, only to be startled again as he once again saw the man from last week, his own eyes closed in what seemed to be exhaustion as well. _He must have a really demanding job, too_ , Ritsu thought, noticing the bags under the man's eyes with no small amount of sympathy. He knew himself how stressful a job could be, after all. Those eyes opened again and Ritsu found himself squeaking in his chair and keeping his gaze on the ground, his cheeks turning red at being caught staring.

However, the man didn't say anything, merely grunted and went back to…sleeping or whatever it was. It really wasn't good to fall asleep on the train, as one could miss his stop, as Ritsu realized when he stopped relying on his parents for rides. Still…

Ritsu let his eyes wander back to the man sitting across from him, crushing the sudden urge to wipe that exhaustion from his handsome face. "A-ah…excuse me?" _What in the world are you doing, Onodera? Shut up, I'm…clearing my conscience._ The man didn't even bother opening his eyes, so Ritsu cleared his throat and said again, "Excuse me," not really expecting him to answer anyways.

Surprisingly, Ritsu must have had some good luck—or horrible—for the man's eyes creaked open and landed on him, that same indifferent expression on his face, though they showed he was listening—if only barely.

"I just…" Ritsu picked at the end of his coat sleeve, blushing again,"…wanted to thank you. For catching me last week." He looked up at the other man, and…no reaction. Feeling a little put-out, and a false sense of bravery, Ritsu continued,"A-anyways, that's all I wanted to say." _Oh, great job, Onodera. He probably thinks you're some weirdo now._

And then those lips parted. Ritsu waited with bated breath, wondering what the first thing he was going to hear from this attractive man was. "If you weren't such a klutz, you wouldn't have bumped into me." And he said this all with a perfectly straight face, then turned his head and thus ignored Ritsu.

Ritsu bit his lip and directed his gaze to the dirty subway floor again, his heart clenching. _Why would he say something so_ mean _like that? I mean, it wasn't my fault that I fell, was it?_ He didn't know. All he did know was that this man apparently hated him now for something that he couldn't control, and any hopes of coming out of this situation well were gone. Ritsu wiped at his eye with a sleeve even though there weren't any tears.

 _Way to go, Ritsu._

* * *

Takano Masamune wasn't one who felt…well, much of anything, really. Growing up, his parents had always been distant, and he was often left alone to fend for himself. His apathetic nature was just a result of this upbringing. And now, at 27 years old, there wasn't even any sign of changing. Except this one incident that refused to leave his mind, ever since it happened two weeks before. Ah yes, he could still picture it: those emerald green eyes widening with alarm and that lithe body falling against his, pale cheeks pink with embarrassment…it wasn't something he was bound to forget, since his life wasn't very interesting, anyways.

But that… _kid_ —if he could even be called that, since he seemed around the same age as Masamune—caused him to have thoughts he'd never dreamed of entertaining before. He always brushed them away with other thoughts of books he'd read or his exhausting job as editor-in-chief at Marukawa Publishing before they could take place in his mind. There was no place for those kinds of thoughts in his life, after all.

Masamune shook his head of these unnecessary thoughts as he rode on the last train back to his apartment late at night. It was the day after he'd seen the kid again for a second time, and although he really shouldn't have felt guilty, there was still that twinge of something in his chest whenever he thought about what he'd said to the other when the kid had actually _thanked_ him for something so trivial. Honestly, from what Masamune had seen of him so far, the kid seemed to have had nice, loving parents with a warm household and perfectly ordinary childhood—though extremely sheltered. Masamune was surprised the boy even knew how to ride the subway like normal people did. The thought almost made him laugh. He looked around the train lazily, letting his eyes skim over the people who had to resort to the mundane routine of using public transportation, unlike the pampered prince from yesterday.

 _Tch, people like him make me irritated_. Masamune thought, suddenly irritated again that he was letting this stupid random kid reside in his mind like this. As the train stopped and the doors slid open smoothly, more people got on, and—there was that idiot again, fumbling with his papers and maneuvering his phone to his ear at the same time.

"An-chan, no I—" Here he paused, presumably to listen to the mindless chatter of this "An-chan" on the other side. For some reason he couldn't fathom, Masamune was irritated just listening to this conversation, so he turned his head and tried to tune that kid out, to no avail. He could still hear every single protest and excuse running through the kid's mouth.

"—never mind, I'll see you next week at the party, An-chan." The kid hung up and slipped his phone into his pocket, then swiveled around the look for a seat. Masamune noted that the only seat open was right next to him, and the kid must have noticed this as well, for his too-green eyes widened and his cheeks turned that damned shade of red that really wasn't supposed to be that attractive—

The kid plopped into the seat next to Masamune, keeping as far away as possible, his body at the very edge of the seat as he straightened his papers and placed them into his bag. To be honest, there really was no reason to do that, Masamune mused to himself. It wasn't like he was going to do anything to the kid, and he wasn't even his type anyhow.

"Oi," Masamune said. _What the hell am I doing?_ It got his desired reaction, anyways, as the kid squeaked again and reddened, shuffling just that bit farther away from him. Masamune sighed, reached over and flicked the back of the kid's head. "Oi, it's not very polite to ignore someone when they're talking to you." Normally, he wouldn't even bother talking to some random stranger he'd met on the train a total of two times in the past week, but he was bored and this would provide for some cheap entertainment.

"S-sorry," the kid apologized quietly.

"What's there to apologize for? Idiot," he added on as an afterthought, smirking inwardly when the other glared at him, though with his face looking like it was about to burst into flames, it wasn't very effective.

But he only turned away and muttered something to himself that sounded a lot like, "You are, not me."

Masamune flicked the kid's head again. "Oi, who're you to call me an idiot?"

The kid didn't say anything for a moment, but then he started rummaging through his bag and, face turned downwards, thrust a business card towards Masamune, though very reluctantly. _Onodera Ritsu_ , it read, and some other junk that didn't really matter to him at the moment, but—

"Onodera? As in, Onodera Publications?" Masamune was truly surprised at this moment; he was insulting the son—and heir—of the one of the largest businesses in all of Tokyo, and the kid still hadn't paraded around his status or wealth? He must really be an idiot if he didn't think of that sooner.

Onodera gave him a scowl. "Yeah, so what?"

Masamune said nothing, which caused Onodera to scowl again and turn back to whatever he was doing, pretending to text someone or the like. He couldn't help but smirk outwardly this time; it was so easy to rile this kid up, there was now a whole new meaning to "wearing your heart on your sleeve." Even though there wasn't any reason for Masamune to see this Ritsu person again, as meeting again the train for the third time was surely just a coincidence, he still thought about how fun this was going to be.

"Takano Masamune," he said, just to see the other's reaction. If Onodera turned any redder, he would most probably explode in the next few moments.

Life was looking up.

* * *

Masamune was having a bad day. He'd gone home too late because of those damn deadlines and wasn't able to sleep until 3 in the morning, and even when he set his alarm, he nearly overslept and was late at Marukawa Publishing. At around noon, he'd found his old friend Yokozawa and the head editor for _Japun_ on top of a desk in what he thought was an empty meeting room, and now he was forever traumatized with images of Yokozawa with too much skin showing burned into his mind. He didn't have the appetite to eat anything for lunch because of that, and after he finally was able to have a minute of breathing room at 5 PM, he received a call from his mother that she was going to visit him the next night for dinner to "catch up."

 _Catching up, my ass,_ he'd thought at the time, his eyes burning holes into the call symbol next to his mother's name—first name, of course, he couldn't even bear to call his mother by "Mom" in his contacts—and his head hurting because he hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. On top of all that, his author _still_ hadn't turned in her manuscripts, and the deadline had been extended twice already. Masamune sighed as he stared up at the name of the restaurant he was supposed to be meeting at with his mother, lamenting his extremely bad luck.

Entering the restaurant—which really was very nice, his mother had nice taste if anything—he readied himself for a night in hell.

* * *

"Alright, mother, it was nice seeing you as well," Masamune said on the phone, listening closely for his mother to hang up before he did—and quickly. He didn't want to spend another moment in that woman's presence if he had anything to say about it. There wasn't anything he really despised in this world, but he certainly resented his mother for the horrible childhood and upbringing he had.

With a long sigh, Masamune stepped onto the night train—not the very last one, surprisingly—and found his seat, leaning against railing when it started moving forward. No more nights like this, or he just might have to start up his habit of smoking again whenever things got too stressful. He barely opened an eye when the train stopped and yet another batch of poor saps clambered on and off, but when he saw Onodera getting on—this early in the evening as well—his curiosity was slightly piqued.

The prodigal son immediately saw Masamune and took the seat next to him, looking in a better mood than Masamune felt at the moment. "Hello, Takano-san. Did you have a nice day today?" Onodera actually _smiled_ at him, which only made his already horrible mood even worse. Did he _have_ to be so…so...well, Masamune couldn't think of a word at the moment.

He slid his eyes over Onodera in reply, not trusting his voice right now with the way he was feeling. He might have insulted the other—or yelled, and he really didn't want Onodera to cry because of something that had happened to Masamune himself. Though if Onodera did cry, that was rather pathetic because he was a grown man. Slightly disturbed with the path his thoughts took him, Masamune shook his head and leaned back against his seat, not wanting to see that kid's face right this second.

"Takano-san?" Onodera asked, confused. "Are you okay?"

Masamune huffed inwardly and opened his eyes again, narrowing them at the small figure next to him. Onodera eeped and quickly closed his mouth, somehow knowing just by Masamune's expression that he really didn't want to be bothered.

"W-well, if it makes you feel any better," Onodera continued, and Masamune let out the longest sigh he'd ever released—in his mind, of course. "I didn't have such a good day, either. There were more of those rumors of favoritism just because my dad is the owner of the company, and my mom texted me about marrying An-chan again, even though I'd told her so many times that I only saw her as a friend, and well…" Onodera trailed off, inexplicably not meeting Masamune's eyes. "…seeing you in such a horrible mood made me feel bad. For you. B-but that's not because I really cared, I just…wanted to somehow make you feel better."

His eyes were shining with determination that Masamune didn't expect to see, and he found himself actually smiling for the first time in forever. Scoffing to cover up the strange happiness inside that someone wanted to see him happy, Masamune reached over and ruffled Onodera's hair, making the other blush deeply and smile sheepishly to himself.

"Moron. Don't say things like that to random strangers." He clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"But we're not strangers, Takano-san. I think I could even call us friends," Onodera replied back, sounding the kind of innocence and naiveté that Masamune once wanted to destroy. Now, however, it just made him feel oddly fuzzy. _Weird…_

"How could you call someone you talked to a total of three times your friend?" Masamune wondered, not exactly understanding how this "friend" business worked. "Don't you have to spend time together outside of…the train and know each other's interests, and—what are you laughing about?"

That kid was _laughing to himself_ , like Masamune had just made some kind of great joke. "S-sorry, Takano-san, but your idea of friends is so silly. If you like someone and you've talked to them, doesn't that count as friends?" Onodera smiled up at him, his smile looking so carefree and light that Masamune almost felt _jealous_ for a second.

"What you're saying constitutes as a friend is 'silly'," Masamune replied. "Besides, don't friends have to have common interests, or whatever all that shit is these days?"

Onodera flinched slightly at the swear word, but just continued on smiling like nothing in the world was bothering him. "No, not really, Takano-san. Haven't you ever had friends?"

His purely-curious question stirred something deep within Masamune. It brought him back to days spending hours in the library just reading whatever he could get his hands on, and later in life, buying books home to his apartment to read whenever he had time. There really was nothing appealing of having someone else know who you were almost as well as you knew yourself. It just sounded like meddling in his private life that Masamune didn't really care for. Though, Onodera wouldn't be so bad, if only he lay off on so much innocent questioning and behavior that made Masamune want to punch something—or, strangely enough—give someone a hug. Shuddering at that train of thought, Masamune turned back to the present, where Onodera was still looking at him with those wide green eyes and waiting for an answer.

 _God, can this guy act any more like a child?_ Masamune thought irritably, though he wasn't that irritated, mysteriously enough. So he answered honestly with a blank expression, "No."

Onodera's reaction was so expected it was almost painful. His eyes widened comically, and his mouth opened in a perfect 'o' of shock. "Never? But who did you hang out with at school? Who listened whenever you had a problem or needed someone to talk to? Who understood you in a way that your parents never could?"

Wanting to crack a joke at Onodera's expense, Masamune replied with, "Usami Akihiko." Because it technically was true, he spent quite a lot of time reading the famous author's works, and he was able to lose himself in the wonderful worlds that Usami-san painted up. No wonder his books were so popular.

Again, Onodera's eyes widened even further—if that was even possible—and with an awed voice asked, "You knew Usami-sensei when you were younger?"

 _This guy…_

"Onodera, I was kidding. No, I never had someone who did…whatever you said before." Masamune waved it off casually, like it didn't really matter to him, because really, it didn't. He never worried about whether or not he seemed social or a loner; it was long ago that he cared what other people thought of him, besides those at work.

"Oh." He actually looked _disappointed_ for a second, before he perked up again. "Well, in that case, I'm your first friend then, right, Takano-san?"

"Sure, I guess."

Onodera looked far too proud of himself as he leaned back with Masamune, blathering on about his day and the stuff that he couldn't care less about fascinating Onodera like there was nothing more interesting. Even though Masamune didn't even ask for this, Onodera just sort of threw himself onto him, he still couldn't help but let a small content smile take over his expression.

And so their odd and utterly impossible friendship began.

* * *

Over the next few months, they met up regularly—all of it was on accident, of course—on the night train back to wherever both of them stayed at their respective apartments. Ritsu had never felt so alive. Talking to Takano every day like this was exhilarating, and he never wanted it to stop. They talked about anything and everything, and even though Takano wasn't the most talkative person around, Ritsu still found himself enjoying anything that came out of the other man's mouth. Ritsu found out—though with much patience—that Takano was born an only child, his parents never had any time for him throughout his childhood, and that he worked at Marukawa Publishing as the editor-in-chief of the department for shoujo manga ever since his college friend, Takafumi Yokozawa, invited him to work there.

"A-ano, Takano-san, isn't that department in disrepair? _Emerald_ , was it?" Ritsu asked, curious and a bit wary.

"It _was_ , until I came and worked their sorry asses back into shape." He seemed rather proud of it, Ritsu noticed but decided not to comment.

He also told Takano a great many things about himself as well, from his overprotective parents to his wealthy upbringing—" _I knew it," Takano had said when Ritsu told him, "the little pampered prince." Ritsu had protested that he wasn't spoiled, but Takano only laughed and tousled his hair_ —to his rocky friendship with An Kohinata, since they were expected to be married. An-chan also expected that to happen, as Ritsu had discovered her feelings for him back in high school.

Throughout it all, no matter what kind of disagreements they got into—whether Ritsu brought it upon himself or not by an angry Takano—they still somehow managed to patch things up the next day with a text or an apology in person on the train. It wasn't something that Takano had to get used to until he met Ritsu, apparently, but he _eventually_ understood the principle of apologizing for something you had done wrong, even if it was only very small, like snapping at poor Ritsu when he was irritated.

"Takano-san, hello!" Ritsu chimed, smiling at his friend.

No answer. "Takano-san?"

"Fuck off, Onodera, can't you see that I don't want to be bothered right now?"

Later Takano had apologized—though very reluctantly—and Ritsu felt better after all of it because it meant that Takano cared about him enough to try to make up for hurting Ritsu's feelings.

Speaking of Ritsu's feelings, over the course of three months, he also noticed that those quiet feelings of attraction he'd had for Takano at the very start were now tenfold, and whenever Takano smiled or laughed with him, his heart stuttered in his chest and he didn't know what to do, so helpless was he to his overwhelming feelings for the other man. He didn't let them show, of course, because Takano didn't see him in that way and Ritsu wasn't about to ruin a friendship as valuable as this because of some errant feelings that he couldn't control. He could have almost called it love, though with all the swirling emotions inside of him he wasn't absolutely sure.

Only time would tell whether these cursed feelings of his would calm down or worsen.

* * *

Takano Masamune was tremendously surprised when he found Ritsu Onodera, smiling and laughing, with Kisa Shouta in the _Emerald_ department at Marukawa Publishing. He must have missed _something_ Ritsu told him one night on the train, because he had no idea that the other man was coming to work here. He must have been too distracted by Ritsu himself to properly listen to any work-related things that he mentioned.

God forbid the heavens let him fall for a person of the same sex, but they did, and now Takano Masamune was in love with that stupid kid he'd met on the train three months before. It had started out so slowly that he wasn't sure it was even happening until he looked at Ritsu one day and realized that he wanted to kiss him. And make love to him. And eat with him. And cook with him and clean with him and bicker about pointless things and do all sorts of couple-y activities that once would have brought him only disgust.

The realization startled him so badly that he'd snapped at Ritsu and felt bad about it immediately afterwards. Before he met Ritsu, he wouldn't have given two shits about hurting other people's feelings—not because he was cruel, but because he often did it on accident and didn't care—but seeing Ritsu's face just crumple like that made his heart clench up painfully in his chest and the strongest urge to just hold the other close to him until he felt better. They didn't talk for the rest of the train ride, then.

When Masamune later called Ritsu at an ungodly hour of the morning just to say sorry because he couldn't sleep with that guilt keeping him awake—and the sight of Ritsu's little heart-shaped face upset—the overwhelming relief at hearing Ritsu smile at him again over the phone made him realize that he was in deeper than he first thought.

Seeing Ritsu at his workplace—working alongside everyone and interacting with them—caused an inexplicable sense of jealousy and possessiveness to rise up within him. On the train, Ritsu was _his_ , and nobody else could take Ritsu's attention from him. Here, though, Masamune was forced to share Ritsu with his co-workers. And due to his being a single child all his life, he was not very good at sharing. It was funny, he mused as he rested his chin on a palm and watched Ritsu, how suddenly everything happened. It had only been three months— _three months!_ —since this one person had come into his life like a hurricane and completely baffled him until he could hardly speak.

And now…now Masamune wanted nothing more than to tell Ritsu how he felt.

"Kisa-san, I'll be right back," Ritsu was saying, standing up and leaving the room.

 _Idiot…I'm right here. Can't you see me?_

"Alright, Ricchan," Kisa waved him off, typing furiously on his laptop for the next proposal.

Not even knowing what he was doing, Masamune stood up as well and followed Ritsu out, saying something about a short break as he was walking out of the workplace, keeping pace with the other's strides until Ritsu reached the break room on this floor.

"Onodera," Masamune said, crossing his arms and staring down at him.

Even after all this time, Ritsu still squeaked when he was surprised, and that blush that Masamune was so used to seeing was still there. Some things never changed, really. "A-ah…Takano-san. Hello, fancy seeing you here." Ritsu waved, giving him a weak smile, then turned to the vending machine as if he were going to buy something.

"I work here, Onodera. You knew this." He raised an eyebrow, frowning. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ritsu only laughed nervously and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "O-oh, that. I meant to tell you, but I just didn't have the time to, busy you know? Anyways, I really have to get back to work, so—"

Before Ritsu could get out the door, Masamune slammed his hand across the doorway, blocking the only way out of the room. He didn't want to look at the obviously-guilty expression that must be on Ritsu's face right now, so he lowered his gaze to the ground and let his over-long bangs cover his own expression. On one hand, Masamune knew he shouldn't have reacted so strongly to Ritsu not telling him, because it was Ritsu's business only and they were only… _friends_ after all. Friends didn't have to know something as personal as a sudden job change for seemingly no reason whatsoever. On the other hand, he was hurt that Ritsu had told him nothing about it, not even a hint or word, and he felt _betrayed_.

 _I thought I….you_ —He couldn't even finish the thought. His chest constricted.

"Takano-san…" Ritsu said softly, and Masamune looked up, only to see those beautiful green eyes wide and pleading. Tightening his hand, he slowly lowered his arm and Ritsu bounded out of the room, clearly eager to be out of this tense situation.

A gate closed in Masamune's shielded heart.

* * *

[To Takano M]

 _Takano-san, please pick up._ (19.49)

[To Takano M]

 _I'll explain everything. Call me, please._ (21.20)

[To Takano M]

 _I'm sorry._ (23.17)

Ritsu stared at his seventeen unanswered calls and fifteen text message three days later on the train home, dismayed that Takano hadn't returned even one out of all of them. In all honesty, he had no idea why the other man was so upset. Of course, if Takano hadn't told Ritsu something like this, he would be a bit hurt, sure, but not to the extent that Takano was now. He never met his gaze at the workplace, and when he did, it was only to yell some order at him. Aha…as Takano's subordinate now, Ritsu had to follow orders. That's right. Ritsu smiled a bit bitterly and laid his head back, closing his eyes.

Part of him was angry at Takano for overreacting over this, because this kind of situation shouldn't have garnered such a strong reaction, but most of him mostly just missed the other man. Even with all their arguments, they still never ignored the other if one tried to initiate contact to apologize. Ritsu clenched a hand around his phone tighter.

 _So is that it? Is that all we were meant to be after all? I never even told him how I felt about him…_ Ritsu laughed to himself, swiping at a stray tear that escaped from the corner of his eye. _I don't deserve to cry over him. Takano, I miss you. Come back_. As he exited the train and held a hand to his eyes, Ritsu couldn't deny now as tears ran unhindered down his cheeks that there was nobody else in the world that he loved more than Takano Masamune.

* * *

The next day, after a particularly tiring day at Marukawa and another day of pretending that Takano wasn't there even though he was his boss, Ritsu shuffled his feet back to his apartment—which he had just moved into a week earlier—and flopped onto the sofa. Unpacking boxes could come later. He was exhausted. Ritsu couldn't believe he'd be even more exhausted than he was at his father's publishing company, but apparently there were even bones inside his body that were tired. In a moment in between thoughts, Ritsu remembered the day he had decided to quit Onodera Publications.

 _ **Ritsu stiffened as he walked into some of his co-workers in the break room and heard them talking about him. That wasn't any different. What they were saying, however, made Ritsu's stomach sink and his blood run cold. Luckily, he had stepped back right as he entered, so they couldn't see him as he eavesdropped.**_

" _ **Ach! Another best-seller from the great Onodera Ritsu. How do you guys think he got Usami-sensei as an author, anyways?" One of them mused, tapping her cigarette into the holder.**_

" _ **Probably bribed his own father, I bet."**_

" _ **Idiot, why would he do that? Any money that comes from him goes to his father anyways."**_

" _ **Not with money, Miyamoto." The male grinned leeringly, causing the other two to burst out laughing.**_

 _ **Ritsu could only listen with horror as bile rose up in his throat. He swallowed thickly and backed out of the room, not wanting to hear anymore. He didn't think that the rumors were that bad, but clearly he undermined them. With thoughts such as these running through his head, he came to the decision that he needed to leave Onodera Publications.**_

His stomach ached, and Ritsu turned around on the sofa, trying to will the pain away. He'd always had these pains, ever since he was a child. They only got worse when he was stressed or in an emotional state. Must be both this time, he thought humorlessly to himself. He was about to spiral into another round of misery and self-pity when the sound of a door opening reached his ears.

 _Huh…must be the neighbors. Maybe they have some medicine for my stomach? It would help the pain a bit…_

Ritsu heaved himself off of the sofa and padded over to the door quietly. He opened his door and leaned over to see—

 _Takano?! He's my neighbor?!_

Takano seemed as shocked as Ritsu was to see him there, but that expression quickly closed itself off and was replaced with that blank indifference he always had when Ritsu had first met him. Before Takano could hurry into his apartment and leave Ritsu outside like he did earlier in the week, Ritsu called out, "Wait!"

A pause. "Onodera, I am very tired, so if you have any questions about work, please ask me tomorrow morning."

Ritsu rushed out his door and stopped Takano from going into his own apartment. "Wait, T-takano. Could you please wait?"

"…What is it, Onodera?" Takano sighed, as if he were tired of listening to Ritsu already.

Ritsu swallowed and bowed his head. "I….I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not telling you. I should have." He chanced a look up at Takano, whose expression was still as closed-off as ever. "If you don't want to talk to me anymore, I understand. But can't you…can you at least forgive me?"

There was a very long silence, one in which Ritsu felt the doubt and uncertainty creeping up on him again. Then a long sigh and, "Alright. But you have to explain it to me tomorrow. I had a really long day today and I just want to sleep."

"Ah!" Ritsu bowed deeply. "Thank you, Takano-san! I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled, feeling lighter for the first time in a week.

Takano gave him a barely-there smile, but it was still there. "Tomorrow," then he entered his apartment and closed the door, but Ritsu only felt that another door had opened somewhere else.

* * *

On the train at _22.30_ the next day, Masamune found Ritsu sitting in a car that was nearly empty, picking at his coat sleeves like when he'd first met the other man and looking decidedly nervous. Slumping into the chair next to his, Masamune stretched his long legs out and sighed, turning his head to look at Ritsu, at his green eyes and pixie nose and pale pink lips, and he thought Ritsu was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Not that Masamune would ever tell him that, of course. It was a secret he'd guard with his life.

"Oi," Masamune said, leaning towards Ritsu, who jumped in surprise. _Some things never change_. "So you were going to tell me why you so suddenly quit your job at _Onodera_ Publications and decided to work at Marukawa instead?"

And Ritsu took a deep breath and began his story. Masamune heard of when he first started working for his father and how he only received the least popular authors until Usami Akihiko came along. How Ritsu slowly worked his way up and then—the rumors started. The whispered hisses from his jealous co-workers. And as Ritsu talked, and as Masamune listened, he began to feel a sort of pity for this boy—he really was just a boy in a man's body—next to him, who worked so hard only to receive nothing but insults for it, who showed determination in anything he did, who had a kind of spark that was hard to find in anyone else.

When Ritsu was finished, his eyes were dry, but his voice was strained and choked. Masamune, by instinct, gathered the other into his arms and held him there. Ritsu gasped quietly, frozen, until he wrapped his own arms around Masamune's shoulders. Masamune felt so warm at this moment, Ritsu's warm breath huffing against his ear and his slender arms holding him tightly, his cheeks pink and his body seeming to fit perfectly against Masamune's.

"A-ano, Takano-san?" Ritsu asked hesitantly, softly.

Masamune only replied by tightening his arms. Now that Ritsu was in his arms, he didn't want to let go ever again. He could no longer deny his love for Ritsu. Masamune loved him. He loved him so much it hurt to think of anything less. Much to his great disappointment, Ritsu pulled away, but only far enough that he could look the other in the eyes.

"Takano-s—Takano, I have…I have something else to tell you." Ritsu looked nervous again, though this was accompanied by one of his signature blushes. He let go of Masamune and played with his hands in his lap. "Y-you see, I…over these past few months, I've found that I…I lo—"

Once again, the train shuddered to a halt, but this time, the lights went out with it. People on the other cars started to panic, all of them standing up and murmuring anxiously. Ritsu must have lost whatever courage he had to say what he'd been about to say next, but Masamune could guess what he'd been about to say. Before he could lose his nerve, Masamune pulled Ritsu to him again and kissed him. He wrapped both arms around Ritsu, pulling him as close as he could and kissing the other deeply. Ritsu's lips were soft and warm, just like how Masamune had imagined them, and they were embraced so tightly that Masamune could feel the heat of Ritsu's smooth pale cheeks emanating off of him.

The kiss was…the kiss was—could Masamune dare say it?— _magical_. He'd never felt anything like it before. Not-unpleasant warmth spread through his whole body, filling him from head to toe, and Masamune knew that he never wanted this feeling to end, knew that being with Ritsu only created this feeling, this feeling of being complete, of being loved and cared for. He never wanted it to end.

And as Ritsu kissed him back, kissed him back just as fervently, just as passionately, Masamune whispered against his lips,"I love you, too."

When Ritsu only let out a noise between a laugh and a sob, like a weight was taken off of his chest, Masamune was home.

* * *

A/N: So this is my longest one-shot/fanfiction ever in the history of my whole life (surprising, right?). I had a really long paragraph explaining some stuff that isn't really important (mostly on why Ritsu and Takano might have seemed a bit OOC), so as I'm editing right now, I'll just delete that because it's really unnecessary anyways. Yeah.

Hope you enjoyed reading!

-ChemicallyEnhanced


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